Congressman opposes Mo. plan for toll bridge over river

ST. LOUIS -- A Missouri congressman says the state should drop its plan to build a toll bridge across the Mississippi River and instead go with Illinois' less expensive plan that would let commuters cross for free.

Democratic Rep. William Lacy Clay Jr., whose district includes St. Louis, on Thursday became the first Missouri congressman to take a public stand on the bridge issue.

While lawmakers in Missouri and Illinois want to build a bridge near downtown St. Louis to ease traffic congestion, little progress has been made because of disagreements over funding. Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt signed legislation this month authorizing a toll bridge to built, while Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has said tolls would be unacceptable.

Clay said he supports Blagojevich's position.

"If the governor of Illinois has said that the toll concept is a nonstarter, and Missouri is insisting it has to be tolls, there's no middle ground here," Lacy told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He said he would support Illinois' plan to build a $910 million bridge.

Under that plan, a new bridge would carry four westbound lanes of Interstate 70. The existing Martin Luther King bridge would be reworked to carry three eastbound lanes.

Blagojevich promoted this idea in Collinsville, Ill., two weeks ago and denounced any other plan that would result in tolls. Illinois Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson met with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission on Tuesday, expressing dismay that it's taking this long to find a solution.

Unlike Clay, Watson, R-Greenville, is skeptical that a companion bridge to the King Bridge would be a long-term fix.

"I don't know if that is the answer," Watson said Thursday.

He wants Illinois leaders to examine Missouri's proposal, soliciting bids from investors to build, maintain and collect tolls on the eight-lane bridge. It could cost the states nothing, but motorists would pay $2 each time they crossed.

"We ought to sit down and talk about Illinoisans being exempted from the toll," Watson said.

Last summer, Congress approved $239 million in federal money to add lanes between downtown St. Louis and the Metro East area, where half-hour delays during rush times are common when bridges are construction-free. Those backups at times have tripled as crews resurface the Poplar Street Bridge.

The King bridge alternative would cost Missouri an estimated $50 million. Illinois and the federal government would cover the rest of the $410 million to $450 million.

Missouri Transportation Director Pete Rahn has said it wouldn't solve traffic problems and completing environmental reviews would add years to the project.